The world has become more conscious of environmental issues over the last few decades. More people are recycling and attempting to reduce their carbon footprint. Many companies are doing this as well, finding maximum profits through cost-efficient production and tax breaks. This green movement has become a major part of the fashion world, which prides itself on using new types of materials to create new fashions for the runway and the sidewalks. One major designer’s daughter has begun working with recycled items as a medium, using these creations as a message and brand.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Ilaria Venturini Fendi has taken after her family name and gotten into the designing world. However, Ilaria has taken to ‘upcycling’ new fashion, a process that has an interesting premise – she says:
“My way consists of employing already existing materials that for some reason are out of the production and consumption cycles: end-of-lines, defective goods or items which failed quality control standards, scraps of a size that no longer fits their intended use, vintage or out-of-production fabrics and so on…”
The Fendi line from Ilaria – called Carmina Campus – is all created by upcycling, the article says. For instance, she has used airplane cushions, PVC flooring, safari tents and more to create handbags and accessories. Interestingly, the prices of these bags is relatively high, considering that they have been made from old items. They currently range from $250 – $1,200. One component of this upcycling isn’t about making money, however:
“…a small collection within the line is made in Kenya and Uganda by rural women — a project of which Fendi says she is particularly proud (and about which she recently spoke at the Rio+20 Conference on sustainability).”
What do you think about upcycling? Do you think it will become a big part of the western fashion industry someday?
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